Private Oswald Fisher, 2nd Royal Marines Battalion, Royal Naval Division, Royal Marines Light Infantry. Hamel, France 30 Oct 1916. 

HAMEL MILITARY CEMETERY, BEAUMONT-HAMEL (WORK IN PROGRESS) 

A comment from a friend about her great uncle Oswald led me to research the manner of his death in the Great War.

Oswald Fisher was born on 4th February 1895 to Thomas Denton Fisher and Edith Fisher (nee Brooke), in Paddock, Huddersfield. He was the third of four children, the others being Edith Alice (b. 1888), Edward Brooke (b. 1890) and a younger brother Frank (b.1900). 

Huddersfield's Roll of Honour 1914-1922 gives the folowing information:

FISHER, OSWALD. Private. No PLY/585(S). Royal Marine Light Infantry. 2nd R.M. Battalion Royal Naval Division. Born Paddock 4.2.1895. Son of Thomas D. and Edith Fisher, 11 Mark Street, Paddock.

Educated Paddock Council School and Huddersfield Technical College.

Employed by Messrs James Shires and Sons of Milnsbridge as a pattern weaver and student designer.

Attended the Brunswick Street United Methodist Chapel and was a member of the Young Men's Bible Class.

Enlisted 5.11.1914.

After 3 months training he was sent with the first contingent to the Dardenelles and was amongst the last to leave on evacuation in January, 1916.

Killed in action at Beaumont Hamel, 30.10.1916, aged 21 years.

Buried HAMEL MILITARY CEMETERY. Grave location:- Plot 2, Row C, Grave 20.
ROH:- All Saints Church, Paddock.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Private OSWALD FISHER
regiment: Royal Marine Light Infantry
died: Monday, October 30, 1916
age: 21 years
record ID: 598419
Links
Commonwealth War Graves Commission (ID #598419)

In researching the manner of Oswald's death I discovered that he was killed alongside 8 other men from the Royal Marines Light Infantry near Hamel in the Somme Department in Northern France, famous for the battles of the Somme and Baument-Hamel fought there in 1914-1918.

He and his colleagues were a working party sent up from their rest area at Englebelmer to work on trenches, probably in preparation for the planned upcoming assault on the German lines in November 1916. I imagine, given that the whole working party was killed, that they were probably killed by enemy artillery fire after having been observed working on the trenches.

RIP Private Oswald Fisher, and his colleagues from 2nd Royal Marines Battalion, (Royal Marines Light Infantry), Royal Naval Division.

For the other members of the working party see the following link;

RMLI Working Party, 2nd RM Bn RND RMLI